Letter: Growing fed gov’t is the real problem

Wednesday

Jan 2, 2013 at 6:45 PMJan 2, 2013 at 6:48 PM

In a recent opinion piece, a local resident made an impassioned plea for the nation’s wealthy to finally pay “fair” taxes.

To the Editor:

In a recent opinion piece, a local resident made an impassioned plea for the nation’s wealthy to finally pay “fair” taxes. He cited partisan evidence that would lead one to believe the rich are getting away with something by not paying a higher tax rate, the Republicans are out to bankrupt the social security system while the Democrats are doing everything they can to save it, and suggests that the wealthy possess something (money) that belongs to the government. I can only assume that the author is wealthy and representing their prevailing views. If not, I find it morally reprehensible that the author would call for the confiscation of another person’s property and have to wonder why anyone would do such a thing. Could it be one of the seven deadly sins? What does the author believe is “fair” — the 70 percent rate of the ‘70s? Wouldn’t it be more fair if everyone’s taxes (including some who currently do not pay taxes) were raised so that everyone can participate in solving our fiscal problems? Instead, the author chose to pick on a particular class of people who in his opinion obviously isn’t doing enough.

It’s apparent the author feels America’s fiscal problems can be fixed at the expense of 2 percent of the population. If that’s the prevailing thought, I thank God that I am not among them. While I feel I pay my “fair” share of taxes and then some, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in that 2 percent and feel the pain of being looked upon as some sort of pariah responsible for the fiscal cliff, a bankrupt social security network, global warming, poverty, and all the other ills facing us today. That would be too much for me to bear. I would feel ostracized in my own country.

Sadly, the author fails to recognize the real problem facing us today and that is a federal government growing by leaps and bounds every year under all administrations. By its very nature, governments are inherently inefficient and the less they attempt to do, the better for everyone, including those at the bottom of the economic scale. With its unfettered growth, the reach of the federal government has crossed boundaries previously off-limits and is creating a society that looks to the government for solutions, instead of looking to themselves and their neighbors. Individual responsibility and accountability are being replaced by a “it’s not my fault” mentality. We’ve reached the zenith of the American standard of living and the future points to a gradually diminishing quality of life brought upon by the crushing demands of feeding the insatiable appetite of the government.

Perhaps if everyone’s taxes go up, people will begin to ask what they are getting in return from the ruling class in Washington, D.C., and not look at their fellow citizens for fixing the problems brought upon those very people we elect and send to Washington.